When the budget is tight, the tight start budgeting, looking for bargains everywhere they can. These days people are buying cheaper clothing, not looking at the label to see where it was made, and not considering the kind of labor that went into making it.
Hannah Golden and Emily Haase decided to check. The two Harbor High juniors found out that many of the clothes they wear at school, from gym outfits to sports uniforms, are being made in sweatshops overseas, with workers—including child laborers—getting paid little to nothing for their work.
If that wasn’t enough of a shock, the two girls discovered that they could get the same items for the same price—or even cheaper—by buying only fair trade clothing from overseas. Fair trade clothing means that the producers in the factories are paid a reasonable wage, that they are ensured basic safety regulations and that no child labor is used. It sounded reasonable, so Hannah and Emily decided to approach the school board.
The board agreed. Last night trustees voted that all school apparel purchased by the district would be free trade apparel. Trustee Wendy Strimling called it a “great initiative,” explaining that the board spends about $500,000 a year on everything from gym shorts to cheerleading outfits to football jerseys. “People can make a difference,” said Stirling. “You’re talking about moving hundreds of thousands of purchasing dollars.” Like the girls, she pointed out that it will hardly make an impact on the budget—if anything some items can be gotten for cheaper. “But it has impacted the lives of the people making the clothes.”
The school board is scheduled to vote again on Nov. 10 during a second reading of the proposal. After that, the suggestion by two students will be law. Kids in Santa Cruz will have made a difference to the lives of kids in Haiti, India, and other less fortunate parts of the world. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
